Between Friends: A Writing Project
by GleekMom
Summary: For 27 weeks, 6 Friends and I wrote 1 Prompt of 500 words in 3 Days. I really want to thank MuseInMe3, StarGleekBelle, Different Child, MelissaMotown, FicDirectory, and pi.on.a.skateboard, for being part of this project. I am so proud of the work we've created.
1. Chapter 1: Moments of Love

**A/N: So three writer friends and I (StarGleekBelle, Momaboutown and Different Child) have decided to challenge ourselves. Each Monday one of us prompts, and each Wednesday 500+ words are due. We will each post our one-shots on our FF sites. This is a writing exercise/project, but please feel free to read and review if you are so inclined ;-) And make sure you check out theirs too!**

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**Prompt: The exact moment(s) that two best friends fell in love**

**Characters: Santana (13) and Puck (14)**

**Words: 619**

**Date: July 4, 2012**

It had been a month since Santana had seen him. She'd heard on the streets what he had done. Taken out of court in shackles wrapped around his ankles, he shuffled his way to Juvie for a month long sentence. The streets of Lima Heights adjacent were buzzing with the story, and as Santana kept her distance on her stoop, she listened to every word. She heard how Puck had attacked that jackass Monroe and nearly sent him to the hospital. She heard that Puck escaped with only a black eye while Monroe's ribs were bruised and his lip was swollen. Santana smiled to herself. She remembered in that dark alley behind their junior high school Puck giving him the swollen lip, but the damage to his ribs belonged to her.

As Puck was finally released from Juvie that day, he remembered back to the fight that had landed him behind locked doors for the first time. No one got away with calling his girl a slut or a whore. Santana Lopez was a lot of things, but she was neither of those. He knew that better than anyone. He remembered the tears in her eyes when he found her underneath the bleachers of the junior high. He didn't recall ever seeing her cry before, and the vulnerability made her even more beautiful than he'd ever thought before. He arranged the meeting with Monroe, never expecting Santana to show up, but the toughest girl he knew would never let anyone else fight her battles for her. He'd landed some good punches before she pushed him back and took over, and as he watched his best friend turn her tears of pain into blazing fists of street justice, his admiration of the girl suddenly turned to love. And over the last month, it had only blossomed with her absence.

As she got ready for school that morning, her heart beating in excitement to see Puck again, the doorbell rang and Santana ran to it, her mother and father already gone to work. She opened the door and smiled at the older boy leaning against the doorframe.

"Miss me?" Puck teased with a raised eyebrow.

"Maybe," she grinned, turning to walk up to her bedroom, tantalizing him with the sway of her hips as she climbed the stairs. It had never done anything for him before, but this time it drove him wild and he followed hungrily behind her.

As she entered her room to grab her backpack, she felt Puck's hand seize her own and he snapped her around to face him. She found herself so close to the taller boy that she could feel his heart beat against hers, and she gasped with the sudden intensity of her feelings.

"I missed you," he whispered and he ran a shaky finger through her hair.

"Thank you, Noah," she said breathlessly, her eyes never leaving his. "For what you did for me. No one has ever protected me like that before."

"Well, they should," he declared. "Because knowing you were free was worth every minute I spent in lock up."

Before her sense of reason overcame the sudden flood of emotion, she found herself kissing him, slipping her tongue desperately between his lips. She had kissed other boys this way before, but never had it felt like this. She wasn't sure when she had fallen in love with her best friend. She didn't know if it was when he had consoled her as she cried, if it was when he fought for her honor, or if it was when he took the blame for both of them. All she knew was that she loved him now, and she always would.


	2. Chapter 2: Surflight Romance

**A/N: So we've had one more writer join in the fun. Please welcome MelissaMotown. **

**This chapter was inspired by and named after my own summer stock romance at the Jersey shore summer of '97. Hubby and I had already been dating 3 months when we went, but it's a beautiful place to fall in love. Or just to have a fling!**

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**Prompt: The most memorable/meaningful summer fling**

**Characters: Harmony and Nick**

**Words: 743**

**Date: July 11, 2012**

********* This chapter was officially Curt Mega approved on July 24, 2012 with a resounding Yes!" *****

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There was nothing like the smell of the ocean, the roar of the beach and the thrill of seven mainstage performances a week, a new show every 14 days, three children's theater productions, and six hour rehearsals every day to fuel a love affair. Summer stock was well known for the raw passion that arose from complete exhaustion mixed with living and working together every single second of every single day for three straight months.

They had both promised themselves that they were just there to work. Pay their dues, perform their roles, keep to themselves and go home with their resumes filled. But the moment that Harmony and Nick's eyes met across the circle of that very first read through for "Oliver", the sparks had already ignited. By the time Nick heard Harmony sing "It's a Fine Life" his own heart had melted for her, as much as his Artful Dodger had fallen for her Nancy. Nick's smile at her made Harmony's stomach flutter and she knew she'd have to work on this sudden blush that marked her cheeks during their duet in "I'd Do Anything."

It didn't help that the two had seen each other in passing before. Nick's senior year he and the Warblers competed against Harmony's show choir during Regionals, and he'd been in awe of her talent then, not to mention captivated by her sparkling blue eyes. But he had been too shy to approach her then, slipping into the anonymity that the Dalton uniform afforded. A year of college changed him and he confidently introduced himself to Harmony at the Start of Summer Bonfire.

"I don't know if you remember me…" he started, taking a seat next to the girl. In the glow of the firelight bouncing off her skin, she looked breathtaking.

"Of course I do," she answered with a flirty smile and a soft laugh that swelled in Nick's heart. "You and that blonde boy stole my shot at Nationals junior year." Nick grinned proudly.

They spent the night getting to know one another, huddled together against the chill of the midnight ocean breeze, roasting marshmallows that Harmony expertly pressed between chocolate and graham cracker into delicious s'mores to share.

"You two coming back to the house?" one of their castmates asked. The fire was dying down and a group started to trudge back to the apartments.

Harmony grinned, taking Nick's hand. "Be right there," she promised.

The two stood in silence for a moment, listening to the wave's crash against the shore. "The moonlight is beautiful," Harmony shared.

"You're beautiful," Nick said, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her close.

Her eyes twinkled. "There's something I forgot to do the last time we saw each other," Harmony mused.

Nick's eyebrow arched in curiosity. "What's that?"

"Congratulate you on your win." Harmony smiled softly as she ran her fingers through his hair and pulled his lips to hers. She gently grazed them, looking up at him questioningly. He nodded and surged forward. Butterflies fluttered as he breathed her in along with the enchanting scent of seawater and burning wood.

They sunk to the sand, eventually falling asleep to the sounds of the ocean mingled with the distant voices and music of the summer night.

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Three months felt like forever and only a day. The final curtain had fallen, the sets and props were put away, and their bags were packed for the morning, but they found themselves, as they had many an evening that summer, once again on the beach beneath the moonlight.

"Part of me doesn't ever want this night to end," Nick admitted as he held her closely in his arms.

"Only part of you?" she teased looking over her shoulder into his eyes.

"A very big part of me," he answered as he pulled her close and pressed their lips together one last midnight. "I will never forget you, Harmony."

"Oh Nick, sweetheart, you won't be able to," she taunted. "My name is going to be up in lights everywhere you go."

"And I will send you seashells every opening night in remembrance," he pledged.

They stared quietly out at the water, the summer together playing back in their minds, their separate futures awaiting them. "The truth is, I didn't expect the summer to go like this when I came here," Nick confessed dreamily.

Harmony smiled. "I wouldn't have had it any other way."


	3. Chapter 3: Mirror, Mirror

**Picture Prompt: The picture can be found on my tumblr: GleekMom, and is also the current image for this story.**

**Written prompt: Blaine can barely look at himself in the mirror. But what's behind the door shocks him to the core.**

**Characters: Blaine and…**

**Words: 899**

**Date: July 18, 2012**

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**Mirror, Mirror**

When he could stand the heat no longer, Blaine stepped out of the shower. Leaning his backside against the sink, he pressed his towel to his face and retreated into the darkness it provided. The steam disappeared through the open window that led to the beach. He took a deep breath, soaking up the smoky spice scent of the cypress cottage mixed with the nutmeg and citrus of Sebastian's cologne. His stomach once again tied into knots that the heat had momentarily relaxed. He turned and gazed at his reflection in the mirror.

It had been 5 months, 7 days and 13 hours since Kurt had broken up with him over Thanksgiving. Blaine had known that Kurt was fooling himself that the distance wouldn't change him. When Kurt finally admitted he needed time in NY on his own to see who he truly was outside the confines of Lima, Ohio, Blaine was heartbroken, but not in the least bit surprised.

It had been 5 months, 2 days and 20 hours since Sebastian began trying to take Blaine's mind off of Kurt. It had been too soon though for Blaine to move on from the love of his life. In truth, he didn't want to move on. His went through his senior year in a fog, leading New Directions to a win at Regionals but refused to share his joy with anyone.

Blaine understood what accepting Sebastian's invitation to The Hamptons for Spring Break meant. But he couldn't live in the fog anymore, not when Kurt was moving on without him. Last night with Sebastian had been the most terrifying and liberating night of his life. So why did looking in the mirror now only make him hate himself? He had to look away.

He wrapped the towel around his waist as he opened the door into the bedroom. Expecting to see Sebastian asleep where he'd left him, Blaine froze, his breath stolen from his lungs, at the sight before him.

Kurt sat on the edge of the bed looking more gorgeous than Blaine had even remembered. His sun and windswept hair glowed with blonde highlights and his cheeks flushed with the pink of salt and sun. Kurt bit his lower lip nervously, the only sign that the young man was unsure of his welcome. Blaine couldn't help but wonder if he was actually dreaming.

"What are you doing here?" Blaine asked in quiet shock.

"Sebastian called me last night." Kurt hesitated. "Seems to think I made a mistake."

Blaine swallowed. So Kurt knew he was with Sebastian last night. "Where is he?"

"On the beach."

And then Blaine remembered. In the throws of passion, moments before passing out from exhaustion and satisfaction, he had screamed Kurt's name.

Sebastian must have called Kurt after Blaine fell asleep.

And Kurt had come.

"What do you think?" Blaine asked shakily, not sure of the answer he wanted. "Do you think you made a mistake?"

Kurt sighed, as tears welled in his eyes before he averted his gaze and stared out at the beach. "Every minute of every day," he whispered.

The words engulfed Blaine. His stomach lurched and his head spun. Months and days of pain washed over him and he felt his knees go weak as his heart raced. He fled back into the bathroom, bracing himself on the sink as he stared into the mirror. Anger and hope collided in his blazing amber eyes and once again, he had to look away. He'd imagined this moment a million times, but last night was all about forgetting and letting it go and who the hell was Kurt Hummel to fucking breeze back into his life and bring it all back in the blink of an eye.

He took a deep breath and glanced back up in the mirror, seeing Kurt's face over his shoulder. Blaine stared into a sea of blue reflected back at him.

"I slept with Sebastian last night," Blaine confessed, though he'd done nothing wrong.

Kurt shook his head dismissively. "That doesn't matter."

Blaine blinked away the tears that threatened. "I've tried so hard not to love you anymore." His voice quivered.

"I know," Kurt breathed. He had done the same.

Kurt's hand rested on his shoulder, and a warmth Blaine had nearly forgotten spread through him. He closed his eyes, willing himself not to lose himself in that touch, but he allowed himself to turn to face the boy he never stopped loving. "I don't know if I can go back Kurt," he said, torn.

"I'm not asking you to go back Blaine," Kurt promised, soft but sure. "I'm asking if you'll go forward. With me."

Blaine was silent for a moment. The sorrow nearly surpassed the excited fluttering in his heart, but despite spending the last 12 hours with Sebastian convincing himself to put hope behind him, Blaine was nothing if not optimistic. But he wasn't naïve. This could all be a passing fancy for Kurt, who either way would head back to NY tonight without him. Blaine couldn't go through that again.

"2 months, 3 days and 5 hours to graduation," Blaine said resolutely. "I'll leave you a ticket. Ask me again then."

Kurt's breath caught in his throat as he nodded. "Okay," he swallowed, blue eyes brightening.

Blaine's lashes dipped momentarily, then rose to meet Kurt's gaze. "Okay," he whispered.


	4. Chapter 4: Red Light

**Prompt: "He's at home, scared, terrified, and just wishing that it would stop."**

**Characters: Sebastian (World: Independent Living)**

**Words: 612**

**Date: July 25, 2012**

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"Don't you need to be getting to work?" His mother's words were slow and deliberate, slurred through the haze of alcohol. He stared out the window. The sun was setting on the Trocadéro and the sick heaviness in the center of his soul began to settle. His mother was right. If he didn't get to Pigalle soon, he'd be in huge trouble. But he stood frozen instead.

It had been a year now since his father was locked away in the dark despair of La Santé prison. His gaze fell back on his mother who tilted the flask back onto her lips. An elixir of denial. The house was far from clean. The refrigerator was near empty. If Sebastian didn't work the streets well tonight they'd spend another week hungry.

He wished for a red light for life that could just make it all stop. He needed it to stop. He needed his parents back. When they'd locked away his father, his mother had been trapped in her own prison of despair and if Sebastian wanted them to survive, he had to sell the only thing left that they owned. His body.

The government had frozen all their assets, allowing them only to keep the house. In the first year they had sold everything in the estate that was worth anything. The staff was let go. Alone and afraid his mother had started drinking. Fall from grace was an understatement.

He withdrew from the prestigious private school and was placed in a state school for his first year of sixth form college. He was referred to a group for kids whose parents were incarcerated. It was supposed to be a place where he could talk about his feelings and get support. Instead he was drawn into a world of drugs and prostitution.

He tried everything he could to get through the nights without the evil substances he knew would ruin his family. That meant though that he remembered every dirty, disgusting detail of his dangerous liaisons with men old enough to be his father. In the beginning he couldn't understand how the men could continue as the tears fell from his eyes. Now, the tears didn't fall anymore. His mind went elsewhere, to better times in the past, to a different world in the future. He imagined a boy, beautiful and caring, who would love him more than life itself. A boy who would never let him sell his body again. A boy who would save him from the hell inside of him.

But first he had to get out of this hell. He went to the kitchen and ripped a piece of bread off the loaf he'd bought yesterday on his walk home. The street sellers were out at dawn and they knew Sebastian well. A charming smile and kisses on a pretty girl's cheeks sometimes got him an extra loaf for his euro. He took a bite to settle the terror in his stomach. It did little good, but it was enough to bring him back to his senses. If he didn't go tonight, there would be no bread at all.

He did good business. Dressed to the nines in the designer clothing he had not yet outgrown, Sebastian's youth and good looks made him well known and desired. He took nothing with him, it would be stolen anyway, and without a backwards glance to his mother passed out on the couch, he headed out the door. There would be no stopping this evening. He had bills to pay and food to buy. The only red light he'd be seeing tonight were the lights of the Red Light District.


	5. Chapter 5: The One That Got Away

**Author's Note:**

**I had this song pegged months ago for Brittana, but writing it was harder than I thought it would be. I hope you enjoy.**

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**Prompt: The One That Got Away**

**Characters: Santana and Brittany**

**Words: 524**

**Date: August 1, 2012**

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Santana sat in the living room of her apartment, drowning her sorrows in the heat of the amber liquid. Black Medallion tequila, the aroma of cinnamon, apple and coffee, and the flavor of toasted oak brought her right back to those nights out on the roof, the two of them huddled together against the chill, watching the world race by beneath them. Time stood still up on that roof. But not still enough.

Was it a scent or taste or sound that led her past their old haunt downtown tonight where they used to sing together? And was it fate that brought Brittany to the stage that night, silhouetted in the window by light shining through the smoky darkness? All Santana knew was that it was longing that led her inside the door.

For a moment she just watched, then eyes locked across the room as silky smooth soulful blues flowed into the air. Brittany had only grown more beautiful over the years, but as her blue eyes met Santana's their brightness faded. Santana's emotions flooded her and she could not breathe. Fleeing into the moonlit streets back to the apartment that they had once shared, the tears flowed. And now she couldn't get that voice out of her head.

Santana missed her best friend. She understood why they couldn't be together. A unicorn is a difficult creature to tie down, they want freedom, not constraints. But it was more. Brittany needed to prove to everyone, including herself, that she could make it on her own. And she did exactly that. A professional dancer, amateur singer, Brittany's life had everything Santana had ever dreamed of for the girl she loved.

Everything except Santana.

She got up and went to her record player, the old fashioned one that Brittany had bought their first Christmas in the apartment. She slipped the record out of its case and gently placed the needle on the delicate vinyl. As it spun memories into the night, Santana refilled her glass, swirling the liquid gold as she stared out her 20th floor picture window on to the city below. In another life it would have been them against the world. Letting Brittany just walk out their door for good had been her biggest mistake.

Now she watched the masses of people on the streets, as she had night after night, wondering where in the throng was Brittany, who was she with, where was she going? Was she happy? Did she miss her?

Was Santana her one that got away?

As she closed her eyes and imagined, the doorbell rang. Santana's heart raced as she wished for the impossible; her best friend home. She opened the door and her breath caught as eyes no longer so innocent and a smile just as sly, greeted her in the doorway.

Brittany glanced at the tequila, then back at Santana. Her eyes sparkled as she held up a lime she twirled in her fingers. "I've learned you can't appreciate the sweet without the sour."

Santana nodded, desperate but terrified. "I can't let you go again," she agonized.

Brittany smiled softly. "I'm not leaving," she promised.


	6. Chapter 6: Always There

**Author's Note:**

**Recently someone made some comments about me on tumblr, implying that I was wrong to believe that Blaine might have owed the Warblers a bit of an apology in Way Out should the missing scene "I Want You Back" have aired in the show. In response, I've written the following:**

**Prompt: ****Most memorable moment with your best friend.**

**Characters: Nick and Blaine (Verse: Ready to Fly Series/Way Out)**

**Words: 807**

**Date: August 7, 2012**

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As Nick watched Sebastian aim the slushie at Kurt, for not the first time regret filled him. But it was absolutely nothing compared to the jolt of shame and guilt that threatened to stop his heart when Blaine pushed Kurt out of the way and the slushie slammed into Blaine. As Nick stood in shock watching his best friend scream and writhe on the concrete floor of the parking garage, he couldn't help but flash back to an afternoon nine months before, safely tucked away inside the walls of Dalton Academy. He knew very well that today wasn't the first time that Blaine had been knocked to the floor with one blow.

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Nick had shut the door behind them, the Warblers leaving them alone. Today hadn't been the first time that suspicion rang through him after Blaine returned from a weekend visit home. Today it was a "knee injury," that kept his friend from participating in the choreography. Last time it had been a fall rollerblading. And every time, Blaine's usual suave confident demeanor was replaced with forced smiles that never reached his hazel eyes.

Their friendship was different than his one with Jeff. He and Jeff had been paired as roommates freshman year and a match made in heaven wouldn't have even begun to describe the pair. Nick and Jeff became instant best friends, complimenting one another like peanut butter and jelly, though they'd argue for hours about which was which. He met Blaine a few weeks later at the first Warbler rehearsal following auditions. Nick had noticed him immediately, the quiet boy in the corner, who when engaged lit up like a firecracker full of passion for the arts, so similar to Nick's. Their friendship developed slowly, each day building on the previous one, until one day Nick realized that he could call Blaine "best friend" as easily as he did Jeff.

And it was then that he noticed the pattern that led them to today.

_When you see a man who's raging  
And he's jealous and he fears  
That you've walked through walls he's hid behind for years_

"Blaine," he asked, soft and caring, from the couch where he'd listened to Blaine sing and watched his tears fall. Nick knew he was right. Dalton wasn't only a safe haven from the ugliness Blaine had escaped at his school, but it was an escape from home as well. "Is someone hurting you?"

Blaine nearly hugged the piano, wishing the music would save him now, in this moment, as it had for the past sixteen years. Nick saw the battle on his face as he struggled. He'd kept the secrets for so long, but he needed someone to know. Nick's breath caught when Blaine fearfully nodded. Hazel eyes widened.

"Please, Nick, you can't tell anyone," Blaine pleaded.

"It's your Dad." Nick said not needing to ask. The pieces all fit.

"Nothing I do is ever good enough," Blaine confessed. "Sometimes he gets angry…" Blaine meant to go on, but he couldn't. He'd revealed enough secrets for one day.

Nick didn't need him to. He heard and understood and would support Blaine in any way he could possibly need him. Nick took Blaine carefully in his arms, not knowing exactly where the pain was or how bad it would be. He felt the stiffness relax slightly and he promised that whatever Blaine needed to keep himself safe, he would always be there.

* * *

Nick left the Warblers behind in Blaine's living room fighting over which movie they were going to watch and followed his best friend into the kitchen to help with snacks. It had been two days since he'd come over and apologized, and as he promised, he brought the boys over to do the same. Blaine easily forgave them but Nick could tell something was still wrong.

"What aren't you saying?" Nick asked, arms crossed, as he watched Blaine with his eye patch, a visual reminder of his betrayal.

Blaine shrugged. "I just feel like maybe I owe you and the guys a bit of an apology as well. I was so angry at Sebastian that day, blatantly seducing me in front of Kurt, but maybe I shouldn't have included the rest of you in it."

"We _were _classless Blaine," Nick admitted.

"Not any moreso than the Gap Attack," Blaine reminded him regretfully. "You guys backed me then knowing how Kurt and I really felt for one another."

"Listen to me Blaine Anderson. You owe no one an apology. When I saw you on the ground all I could think of was…" Nick trailed off.

Blaine lowered his head. "Yeah. Me too."

"So no apologies. This wasn't your fault any more than that was. I failed you this time, but I won't again. From now on, I'm always there for you, no matter what."


	7. Chapter 7: The First Time

**Prompt: "The First Time…"**

**_*** Momaboutown gave us the prompt for this week and told us that the story should start with "The First Time…" However, given all I've been through this week, she gave me special permission to just have it in the story, so I am graciously accepting it! Also, I must thank my husband for giving me both the characters and subject for this story as well as my cousins for giving me some first hand experience with this topic._**

**Characters: Burt and Kurt**

**Words: 577**

**Date: August 15, 2012**

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"Dad," Kurt protested, "I am just going to Mercedes house! Can I please have the keys already?"

Burt put away the driver's manual that Kurt had been studying for the past three weeks and walked wordlessly out to the Navigator. Kurt had grown up around cars his whole life, but it didn't mean that he'd be safe his first time on the road without his Dad. Letting his son take his driving test that morning had been one of the hardest things he'd ever done. He knew there were many firsts to come, but he couldn't remember feeling like this since putting his tiny son on the bus ten years ago for the first day of Kindergarten. That time his wife had been by his side. This time he was alone.

"Check the tires?" Burt started his checklist.

Kurt sighed. "Yes Dad. Keys?" he begged, standing anxiously in the driveway.

"And all the fluids are full? Gas, oil, coolant, windshield wiper fluid? That last one is really important for when it snows," Burt reminded him.

"It's May, Dad," Kurt rolled his eyes. He was so close to freedom he could taste it, but his father still had hold of the damn car keys.

"Did you check your mirrors, the seat settings? It all needs to be perfect so you to have the best view of the other cars around you," Burt persisted.

"It's all electric, Dad, I need the keys…" he prodded holding out his hand, trying to hide his annoyance, but also his excitement. If his Dad thought him too excited, he'd never be allowed on the road.

Burt huffed. "Fine," he grumbled and slapped them in his son's hand.

Kurt didn't hesitate a second. He was in the car, seat belt buckled, engine on and mirrors adjusted before Burt could barely blink. Burt kept his hand on the door frame where the driver's side window was rolled down and looked up to the sky, his heart beating with nerves. _Watch over him,_ _Elizabeth_, he said in silent prayer.

Kurt beamed at his Dad and stuck his head out the window to give him a kiss on the cheek. "I'll be fine Dad," he promised. "I'll drive slowly. Mercedes is only five minutes away."

"Call when you get there," Burt told him and Kurt nodded. They stayed that way for a moment, Burt not letting go.

"Um….Dad," Kurt raised an eyebrow with a sweet smirk. "You have to let go of the car unless you plan on coming with me."

Burt perked up. "Can I do that?" he asked hopefully.

"No," Kurt shook his head firmly. "I love you Dad, but you have to let me go sometime."

Burt smiled softly. He'd let go so many times. The first time Kurt had walked. The first time he'd gone to school. The first time he'd performed in a recital. The first time he'd slept a night away from home. Now, the first time he was driving on his own. So many first times still to come…dating, college, marriage.

"Dad," Kurt insisted as his father stood lost in thought.

"Right," Burt snapped out of his reverie, taking his hand away. "Be safe."

"Always," Kurt pledged.

Burt watched his baby boy drive away for the first time and walked slowly back into the house checking his watch. His five minute countdown started now as he waited for Kurt to call and let him know he'd arrived safe and sound.


	8. Chapter 8: Unlikely Ally

**Prompt: When tragedy strikes, help sometimes comes from the most unlikely of places.**

**Characters: Quinn Fabray and Neal Caffrey/Cooper Anderson (Verse: What's In A Name – A White Collar/Glee Crossover)**

**Word Count: 926**

**Author's Note: **

**For those of you who don't know White Collar: Neal Caffrey, a con man, forger and thief, is captured after a three-year game of cat and mouse with the FBI. With only months left while serving a four year prison sentence, he escapes from a maximum security federal prison to find his ex-girlfriend, Kate. Peter Burke, the FBI agent who initially captured Neal, finds him and returns him to prison, but Neal has a better idea: He will help Peter solve white collar crimes. Peter agrees and Neal is fitted with a tracking anklet that keeps him within a two mile radius, under Peter's close supervision. The last episodes of season 3, Neal has a hearing to request that his anklet be cut and he be set free.**

**For those of you who don't read "What's In A Name": In this story, when Quinn texts while driving, she collides with Blaine's parents who are rushed to the hospital, along with Quinn, and die the next day. Blaine has Burt call his brother, Cooper Anderson, who goes by the name Neal Caffrey, an alias he established after leaving Ohio for NYC at the age of 18. As luck would have it, Neal is released from his ankle monitor the day his parents die and rushes to Ohio to be there for Blaine in any way that he can. **

**This story below takes place after graduation on Glee. I hope this all makes sense, especially to those of you who don't watch White Collar!**

* * *

**Unlikely Ally**

Neal slipped off his belt and dropped it along with his wallet and keys into the small tray as he stepped through the metal detector. His skin bristled. He hated courthouses more than almost anything other than jail. Although, one had always led to the other for him, so it was really no surprise.

He headed up the stairs to criminal court and checked the easel where, instead of the fine art that belonged there, hung a large poster of case listings. He located the hearing and headed to courtroom 14.

* * *

Quinn stood before the judge, wishing she was still in her wheelchair as she had been during her arraignment. She'd been far more sympathetic then. Now she was back to being the spoiled, popular, blonde looking to get away with murder. Literally.

"I have your plea agreement here, Ms. Fabray," the Judge began. "I want you to understand that if I should choose to do something harsher than what you have agreed to, you may take this agreement back and continue with a trial by jury. Do you understood?"

Quinn stated that she did, her heart beating a mile a minute. This was it. Her life as she knew it could end today.

The judge looked up at the District Attorney, eyes hard and unsympathetic. "Please read the charges."

The DA read the events of February and the charge of vehicular homicide. Quinn bit her lip and avoided everyone's gaze. She heard the judge clear his throat. "Is there anyone here to offer a victim impact statement?"

"I am Your Honor," came a voice from the back of the courtroom. Quinn turned to see a man she had not met, but knew from her friends' descriptions. He slowly made his way forward to the gate that separated the spectators from the officials.

Neal took a deep breath. Using his real name was still difficult for him, but today, like at the funeral, it was absolutely necessary. "My name is Cooper Anderson. The victims were my mother and father. Miss Fabray is a classmate and friend of my brother, Blaine. I know I speak for him as well when I say that what happened the night our parents were killed was a horrible tragedy. But sending this young girl, with a bright future ahead of her, to the education of the prison yard, isn't going to bring them back. It won't ease our pain. It won't teach her more than the months in a wheelchair have, and it won't help society in any way." He took a breath and looked at her, his eyes sad but filled with warmth and kindness and a hint of understanding. She didn't know why he was doing what he was but she was grateful whether it worked or not. "She is to blame for their death, that's true. But they were not innocent. My father was a reckless driver, neither of them were wearing a seatbelt. Should she pay the price for their mistakes as well? She's headed for Yale, Your Honor. Surely she can do more good there than in a prison cell."

* * *

He walked quickly out of the courtroom, eager to escape the constricting walls and shallow air of a building that did more harm than good.

"Wait," Quinn called behind him. She placed a delicate hand on his shoulder but quickly pulled it away as if it burned her. He stopped, but did not turn. "Please," she pleaded.

Neal turned to her, his crystal blue eyes icier than they had been only moments before. The weight of what he had just done was beginning to rest on him. He could only hope Blaine wouldn't find out.

"Why would you lie for me in there?" she asked.

Neal's eyes shifted down as he smiled wryly. So she had known that Blaine's forgiveness wasn't heartfelt. He looked back up, their eyes meeting and he shook his head slightly. "Blaine doesn't know what it's like. But I do," he said squarely. "I know how it feels to kill someone with the horrible mistakes that you've made. It's prison enough."

Quinn's eyes brimmed with tears, but her face was strong. "Thank you," she started, but he cut her off.

"Don't thank me," he said harshly. "You have a one year suspended sentence, you're on probation for 2 years, use it. This is borrowed time you've been given. Don't ever take it for granted. Do something good with it." He had taken his own borrowed time for granted more times than he could count and it had cost him Kate and had almost cost him Blaine. Quinn was a reminder that being out of prison when you deserved to be in was a gift not to be forgotten.

She lowered her eyes and stared off into the distance. "I don't even know if Yale will still take me," she said, indicating with a shrug the court proceedings.

Neal stared at her hard, his thoughts drawn to his own past and his brother's future. Peter had given him a second chance even when he didn't deserve it. He had to do the same. "I'll make sure they still take you," he assured her without explanation. "All you have to do is use it to make this right. You'll owe it to me. You already owe it to Blaine."

Quinn's mother came up behind her and placed an arm on her shoulder to lead her away. "I promise," Quinn said, not knowing _how_, but knowing she _would_ make it right.

* * *

**A/N: And now, if you don't read What's In A Name, please go start! And if you don't watch White Collar, what are you waiting for?**


	9. Chapter 9: Spoons

**Prompt: Utilize the "Spoon Theory" prominently in the story. The "Spoon Theory" is a metaphor for those living with chronic illness. A person wakes each day with only a certain number of spoons and each activity that is affected by their illness takes a spoon. When the spoons are gone, the energy for the day is gone.**

**Character: Emma Pillsbury. Emma and I have far more in common than I would care to admit sometimes. This brief narrative was far too easy for me to write because it's basically me. My anxiety does not manifest in OCD, I'm blessed with panic attacks instead, but every day is still a challenge.**

**Words: 500. Exactly. Of course.**

**Date: August 29, 2012**

* * *

**Spoons **

She yawned and made her way to the bedroom where Will was already asleep. He had an early morning preparing for Glee Club tomorrow and wanted to get out of the house early. She slipped into her nightgown, barely having the energy to pull it over her head, then pushed herself to brush her teeth. She kept the light off though. In the soft glow of the night light, the sink looked sparklingly clean and for just tonight she could fool herself. In the morning she'd have the energy to clean again, but tonight she just couldn't.

She loved living with Will, but it stole so many more spoons than living alone had. She knew she'd wake up to the cap off the toothpaste, a dirty sink and water stains on the counter. She'd scrub it. She'd have to before she'd be able to take on anything else that day. She loved Will, but the germs and the mess of living with someone else were sometimes all-consuming.

She'd shower, noticing every piece of dirt and every stray hair that he'd left behind and she'd have to clean it before she herself would feel clean. She'd dress and go down to breakfast where the coffee would be made, but the coffee rings left from Will's cup would need to be wiped away before she poured her own mug. The dishes would be on the counter and she'd have to put them in the dishwasher and wipe off all the countertops before she could leave the house. Coming home to the mess would be overwhelming, so she did it while she still had spoons left.

She was lucky though. Despite the ever present germs and dirt that came with stepping foot in a high school, her office was a safe haven that she disinfected every night before she went home. In that office she could breath, but that wasn't the best part. Though not every meeting with every child restored her energy and gave her more spoons, certain ones did. Sometimes, the difference she made completely revitalized her.

On those days, she could go home and cook romantic dinners for Will. She could let him "help" with the dishes as he wrapped his arms around her waist and teased her neck with butterfly kisses. And on those days she could let him lead her to the bedroom where her anxiety sometimes grew so strong she wanted nothing more than to flee. With a spoon on reserve though she swallowed her fears and gave into every terrifying aspect of sex, allowing herself to disappear into the safety of his arms and the purity of the darkness behind her eyelids. She allowed herself to stop thinking and simply to feel.

As she brushed her teeth in the dark that night, she knew that today was not one of those days and she had nothing left. Living with Will depleted her resources more than she ever thought possible. But loving him made everything worth it.


	10. Chapter 10: Seeds of Peace

**Prompt: "God only knows what we're fighting for" from Adele's Turning Tables. Use of the song was not a requirement. **

**Characters: Kurt and Blaine (COMPLETELY AU)**

**Words: 741**

**Date: September 5, 2012**

**Updated: September 12, 2012**

* * *

Seeds of Peace

As the sun set on the Maine woods, Kurt and the other Jewish Israelis and Americans said _Kaddish_ for Asel Asleh, a prayer remembering G-d's grace and spirit while honoring the dead. It was an especially powerful moment for the campers and counselors from the Middle East delegation, but Kurt knew exactly how much it mattered for one in particular. He glanced around camp as the memorial service ended and everyone dispersed. In the moonlight and the glow of the bonfire, he found the curly haired Palestinian across the woods, gazing out onto the lake. Kurt was suddenly taken aback by the pure beauty of this boy he called "enemy" only 23 days before. He would never have believed that beauty possible before. But that was what Seeds of Peace was all about.

He quietly walked over, the fire crackling around him as the soft murmur of conversation filled the pauses between cicada love songs, and sat beside the boy he was proud to now call friend. Tomorrow they would head back home, to Tel Aviv and the West Bank, where hate and fear would loom from all sides as heavily as the trees did above them here in camp. But tonight, there was still peace and still love.

"Shalom Blaine," Kurt called quietly, interrupting the boy's focus on the shimmer of the water's ripples. They were learning how powerful ripples could be, and Kurt and Blaine could be at the center of one, if the world would allow them.

Blaine peered down at him with an amused smile. "You are just going to keep calling me that, aren't you?"

"Unless it offends you," Kurt said, his heart suddenly filling with concern. "Then I will call you Baligh."

The boy smiled gently and sat next to him. "It does not offend me, Kurt. Baligh is my name, but you may always call me Blaine. Though you will need to show me this _Pretty in Pink_ someday."

Kurt blushed, hoping it was invisible to Blaine. "I'd love to," he said. Blaine's eyes crinkled, but his smile faltered and he stared back out again. Kurt felt the change in mood like a shift in the wind and he was brought back to the evening's service. "I'm sorry for your loss, Blaine. And I know I don't need to apologize, but I _am_ sorry for what our soldiers did."

"My brother was friends with him," Blaine explained quietly. "Asel told us all about this camp and how wonderful it was. I was only little but to me it seemed like a dream. When the Israeli Defense Forces killed him, it was like the dream died with him."

Kurt understood. His mother was killed by Palestinian rockets. At the time he felt like all he should do was hate, but it wasn't in his nature. He didn't believe in a god, not anymore, but his mother and father had taught him the importance of love above all else. He looked at Blaine and reached a hand out, absentmindedly touching his wrist. "I'm glad you still came," Kurt whispered.

"Here…I can't even remember what we all die for." Blaine shut his eyes against the paradox of the hate waiting at home and the pleasure of Kurt's touch; forbidden in every way. An Israeli. A Jew. A boy. Here it didn't matter, but… "At home it will be different. I will be different." He paused in thought before opening his eyes again. "Thank you Kurt. For your prayers. I do not know if your _Kaddish_ has ever been said for a Palestinian before. We only fight and kill one another, we do not mourn."

Kurt took the boy's hand, pulling him into an embrace. "G-d only knows what we're fighting for," he mused. "The counselors say that in order to make peace with your enemy, you must first go to war with yourself. Maybe all we really fight is human nature."

Pain shined through as Blaine met Kurt's eyes. "In two years, that is going to be you in the Israeli uniform. How are you going to be any different?"

How they felt about one another went unspoken. It was too soon. Too dangerous. Too fleeting. But it would never be forgotten. "Because in every Palestinian I will look for you," Kurt told him. "Not your face, but the warmth in your eyes, the goodness in your soul."

"And you think that will make enough of a difference?" Blaine wondered aloud.

Kurt glanced at the heavens, his thoughts with his mother, then back to Blaine. "I pray that it will."

* * *

**Author's Note:**

_**Seeds of Peace is an organization that gives rise to new generations of leaders uniquely inspired and equipped to build lasting peace. Since 1993, Seeds of Peace has set the standard in international peace-building by providing exceptional young people and educators from regions of conflict with an otherwise impossible opportunity to meet their historic enemies face-to-face at our International Camp in Maine. There are now over 5,000 Seeds and Educators from 27 countries who prove that solutions exist, peace is possible, and there is reason to have hope for a better future.**_

**I have every intention, after much reading and research, to turn this prologue into a multi-chaptered story. In the spirit of full disclosure, I am a Jewish American, raised in a conservative synagogue. My marriage is interfaith. I believe in a two state solution. But most of all, I believe in Peace. **

**Now for some fun. I swear I took this straight off the Seeds of Peace website and altered nothing. Please take note of the first four lines!**

**We Are Seeds**

Give me a second I I need to get my hair gel straight My friends are in the Big Hall Playing Gaga like a bunch of apes My counselors they are waiting for me Across the Dining Hall My seat's been taken by some PSs Asking 'bout a call

And I know I waited for you months ago I'm trying hard not to submit But between the talks and subtle things The doubts in my philosophies You know I'm trying hard to get on track So if by the time the Camp closes And you feel like falling down We'll carry you home

_Tonight we are Seeds We can change the world together Make it better Every day _

Now I know that I'm not All that you got Guess that I I just thought Maybe we could find new ways to fall apart But our Seeds are back So let's ring the bell 'Cause I found someone to carry me home

_Tonight we are Seeds We can change the world together Make it better Every day _

Carry me home tonight Just carry me home tonight Carry me home tonight Just carry me home tonightThe world is on my side I have no reason to run So will someone come and carry me home tonight I can see the lake It's never far away So will someone come and carry me home

_Tonight we are Seeds We can change the world together Make it better Every day_

So if by the time the Camp closes And you feel like falling down We'll carry you home … tonight.

_Lyrics (by Orlando; arrangement by Adriel)_


	11. Chapter 11: A Moment of Weakness

**Prompt: A Moment of Weakness, by StarGleekBelle**

**Character: Quinn Fabray**

**Word Count: 721**

**Date: 9/12/2012**

* * *

Quinn had spent a year burying the pain inside. The nightmares of her daughter being ripped away were forgotten before morning. She poured her longing into Finn and Sam and even Puck. She tried to fill the incredible empty void she felt in the deepest recesses of her heart with the love and acceptance of people and things that in the end would mean absolutely nothing to her. And she tried to forget the tiny piece of herself that was now growing outside of her, away from her, completely out of reach.

She was successful too. That was until she went running one day the summer before her senior year. As she always did, she passed the park full of children screaming with delight and parents watching and waiting for the slightest hint of trouble. But this time she saw a tiny blond haired girl, barely walking. Her mother was behind her, ready to catch her when she fell. And in that instant, it all came rushing back.

Under the bleachers with Sheila, Ronnie and the Mack, she remembered that day and the pain that exploded inside her. As she puffed on her cigarette Shelby's words raced through her head. She was going to lose her daughter for good this time, just as she believed there was a chance of getting her back. She didn't want to feel anymore. The only thing she wanted was the pain to go away. She was tired of being strong, of fighting. Without Beth there was nothing left to fight for.

"Give me those pills," she grunted at the Mack. Since she'd started hanging with the Skanks she'd accepted their offers of cigarettes and alcohol. But she'd always turned down the pills.

"Listen girls, Fabray's finally ready to grow up!" the leader taunted with a grin, shaking the pill bottle in front of Quinn's face.

"It doesn't make me a grown up, idiots," she grunted swiping them from the Mack's hand as the girls all laughed. It would make her numb and that was all that mattered. She opened the lid and poured three pills out onto her hand. She knew the girls did more but it was her first time and she wanted to be free, not dead.

She went to pop the pills into her mouth, but a strong hand hit her own, knocking the pills to the ground. The hand grabbed hers and pulled her away from the bleachers and over to the stairs of the school.

"What the hell are you doing Quinn?" Puck shouted as he held her wrists so she couldn't run.

She tried to pull away but his grip was too strong. "I just need to forget it all!" she cried. Anger, frustration, sadness and pain all spilled out and her tears flooded. "I can't think about her anymore!"

"Quinn, we don't have to lose her," he told her desperately. "But if you keep doing stupid things like this we both will."

"I don't care Puck!" She broke free from his grasp but she was small and his arms were long, and they immediately embraced her, holding her tight.

"I know you care," Puck whispered in her ear as she sobbed in his arms. "I know you care and I am not going to let you throw it all away. You are not that weak, Quinn." He kissed her on the head, and squeezed her tightly. "You are the strongest girl I know."

She looked up into his eyes. As always they were warm and loving but hard to trust. Still she wanted to. "I'm just so scared," she admitted with shaky breath.

"Being brave isn't not being scared," he told her. "It's being scared and doing it anyway. Or something like that," he shrugged. "I know I heard something like that somewhere."

It made her laugh and she shook her head. "I think I heard something like that once too," she told him with a small smile that was only ever for him.

"Come on," he said, taking her hand and leading her to the parking lot. "Let's get you home and get back the Quinn Fabray that I know and love."

"You mean Bitch Fabray?" she teased as she wiped her eyes dry.

"Yes," he said laughing at her smeared mascara. "That's exactly who I mean."


	12. Chapter 12: Not My Brother

**Prompt: Born This Way – give a new character a BTW shirt or update an original character's.**

**Character: Jake Puckerman**

**Words: 530**

**Date: September 19, 2012**

* * *

Jake knew exactly three things about Lima, Ohio. The first was that his older brother Noah had graduated from high school there. The second was that because of that, it was the last place on earth he wanted to live. And the third was that it would cost him exactly $150 to fix the window he had thrown a chair through when his mother told him they were moving there.

Noah Puckerman may have known nothing about Jake, but Jake knew enough about Noah from his father to know that he wanted to be nothing like his half-brother. The rest he learned from the internet. It wasn't hard. He googled Noah Puckerman and William McKinley High School, where Jake would soon be forced to live in the shadow of a person he'd never even met, and immediately found a hundred YouTube videos of the school's show choir, _New Directions_. He scrolled through them all until he stopped on a recording of the club singing Born This Way.

"_I'm With Stupid_," Noah's shirt said with an arrow pointing downward. Jake slammed his laptop closed. Of course Noah was exactly like his father. He wouldn't be surprised if the guy already had a kid or two floating out there, ruining the lives of every girl he'd knocked up. Well Jake hated his father and he hated his brother. He'd make sure from day one that everyone knew that he was NOT his brother.

In fact, if he had a t-shirt for Born This Way, he'd plaster it right on his shirt: **NOT MY BROTHER**.

He picked up his guitar case and strung it on his back, slamming out the front door without so much as a goodbye to his mother. If he needed a hundred and fifty bucks, he'd better start earning the cash now. He walked the ten blocks to the Columbus Underground where he stopped for a cup of coffee before setting up shop across the street. He pulled his guitar out of his case and took it into his lap, setting the case out for passersby to toss in their loose change. The little coffee shop had every right to call the police, but the fact was, he was talented and he brought in business.

As he sang, he once again cursed the move to middle of nowhere Ohio, where there would be no street corner fit for a city busker. He'd have to audition for that damn _New Directions_ and hope that his brother's loser friends weren't all as bad as they seemed. He strummed the chords of his guitar, realizing that without thinking he had started singing Born This Way.

_Give yourself prudence  
And love your friends  
Subway kid, rejoice your truth  
In the religion of the insecure  
I must be myself, respect my youth_

He smiled at the spectators who dropped coins in his case, his smile covering the anger inside him that never ceased. When he sang, that was the only time it went into hiding. Whether that would be enough for him in the days to come, he had no idea. The demons he fought were only just starting to come out and play.


	13. Chapter 13: Rock the Vote

**Prompt: Rock the Vote**

**Characters: Kurt and Blaine**

**Words: 566**

**Date: September 26, 2012**

**And I'd like to say that Ryan Murphy did a beautiful job filling this prompt Tuesday on The New Normal!**

* * *

He was glad he had arrived in New York just in time to have a choice. One day later and he would have been locked out of the November election in his new city. But as he passed Obama and Romney posters on the walls of NYC, a certain excitement filled him. In 30 days he would meet his residency requirement and could register to vote on the last eligible day.

It was a choice he had to make. A choice his father had left up to him.

Voting in New York meant truly belonging to the greatest city on earth. He imagined holding Rachel's hand as the two skipped to wherever their voting booth might be, pulling their levers or punching their holes or filling in their little circles, whatever way the city counted the hopes and dreams of its people. They'd go out for coffee and they'd giggle and squeal about their first presidential election, feeling like real grownups in a city that held for them every opportunity.

But that image in his mind made the choice easy.

On a cold November 4th, he used his father's frequent flyer miles to travel back to Ohio where Blaine met him at the airport. With a brief kiss and a tight hug, they climbed into Blaine's car and clasped hands between the seats. There would be plenty of time for catching up. Today was a day that was bigger than themselves.

Kurt had thought that nothing could beat the year before when he'd walked into the voting booth for the first time and had the honor of pulling the lever for his father to become Congressman. But even then, he'd still felt like a child. This was different. Hand in hand with the man who he dreamed of spending the rest of his life, they walked into Lima Towers, where early voting was set up. Kurt heard Blaine catch his breath as he saw the voting booths, and he instantly knew that he'd made the right choice to be by Blaine's side for his first election. Pride filled Blaine's eyes and his skin glowed with it. Because this election was about them; their future, their rights, and the rights of so many like them. It was about healthcare for all, and the role of government to care of its weakest citizens, and first and foremost, it was about marriage equality in all fifty states.

Kurt squeezed Blaine's hand. "No matter what happens, Blaine, this is our chance to be heard."

Kurt and Blaine had both felt powerless so often in their lives. This was their time to take a stand and no one had a right to take that from them. Ohio was a battleground, and their vote could truly make a difference.

With quick smiles to one another before entering their own booths, they each looked over the names of the candidates who would soon have the power of their future in their hands. With great pride and responsibility, and tears in their eyes, they casted their vote for the ones they felt would hold their needs and their interests in their hearts.

On Tuesday night, Kurt would watch the results Skyping with Blaine and huddled close to Rachel. No matter what happened, he would watch the Ohio tally and know that two of the votes cast belonged to him and the man he loved.


	14. Chapter 14: On A Cold Rainy Night

**Prompt: First five words must be: "On a cold rainy night"**

**Characters: Sugar Motta and Kurt Hummel**

**Words: 570**

**Date: October 3, 2012**

**Author's Note: So, I asked my best friend to give me the character for this prompt and to choose past, present or future. She gave me Sugar future. With all of the leaks and spoilers today, my heart needed a little bit of reassurance, so the prompt morphed a little bit into this. I'm sure it wasn't what she intended, but it's what I needed to write. So here goes.**

* * *

On a cold rainy night, Kurt grabbed his umbrella and locked up his corner office at the headquarters of Vogue. Everyone else had left hours ago, but he'd had some last minute designs to flip through before heading home to Blaine. Finally though, his exhaustion overtook his drive and he rode the elevator down to the lobby, waved goodnight to the security guards, and stepped out onto the front stoop.

It was dark, but the lights of New York City reflected off the raindrops pouring down as he raised his umbrella. His eyes not quite adjusted, he nearly tripped over the woman sitting on the front stoop, shivering and dripping from head to toe. It took a moment before he realized it was Sugar…and that she was crying.

"Sugar," he exclaimed immediately worried. He whipped the umbrella over her head to shield her from the downpour and contemplated sitting beside her, but the thought of soaking his $500 designer slacks was less than appealing. "Sweetie, what's wrong? Everyone left hours ago."

She just cried into her hands, her mascara running. "I hate that I let you down, Kurt, after you gave me this chance. You believed in me and I just let you down," she sobbed.

Kurt sighed, planned a stop at the drycleaners in the morning, and sat down next to her. "Sugar, I don't know what you're talking about. How did you let me down?"

She looked up at him as if it should be obvious. "That board meeting earlier?" she reminded him. "The group hated my design."

Kurt chuckled, but tried to hide it, and took her hand. "Sweetie, they liked two out of four of the pieces in your collection. That's not letting me down at all!"

But his praise just made her cry harder. "Kurt, you don't understand. I've always been perfect, at everything I've done. My daddy told me for years that I'm perfect and that I can't do anything wrong. But they hated two of my designs!"

Kurt wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close. She allowed her head to rest on his shoulder. "Let me tell you something I learned a long time ago, just after I started my internship her," Kurt said quietly. "No one is perfect. We're human. We screw things up. Relationships, designs, business. We're always going to mess something up. What matters is how we deal with it."

Sugar sniffed and her crying slowed. "But you've always been perfect."

Kurt laughed aloud. "No, Sugar, I am about as far from perfect as it comes. I've had designs thrown in the trash because professors thought they were too _gaudy_ or _out there_. I've had nearly finished pieces ripped apart to start over again. I've had board meetings where entire collections are rejected."

"But they love you here," she said surprised.

"Because it doesn't matter how you mess up," Kurt explained. "What matters is how you handle it. How you fix it. And that you keep believing in yourself. My Dad taught me that."

She looked up at him, her eyes sad but admiring. "Do you think you could teach me?" she asked.

"Definitely," Kurt said with a smile and he got up, reaching his hand out to her. "Come on. You're freezing. Let me take you out for coffee and I'll tell you a story about two people who are perfectly imperfect in nearly everything we do."


	15. Ch15: More Than Friends Less Than Lovers

**Prompt: Write a scene for one of your current or past fics that you were afraid to write.**

**Characters: Blaine and Santana, (Ready to Fly, AU)**

**Word Count: 685**

**Date: November 7, 2012**

**Author's Note: Warning…this contains Blaintana romance. For any of my regular readers, this is NOT canon for RTF, this is RTF AU. If it's going to offend…don't read.**

* * *

Santana led Blaine back to her dorm room, the music from the coffee shop still humming in their heads, the taste of delicious coffee still on their lips.

"You were so right, San, college is amazing!" Blaine said as they headed into her single. He quickly shimmied out of his coat, draping it over her desk chair. "Kurt would have loved that…" His voice dropped with his eyes, as he realized what he'd said. It had been months since they'd broken up and decided that seeing other people would be good for them. Well, Kurt decided. Blaine just agreed.

Santana reached her hand out to his and pulled him into her arms, sighing. "Why does this have to be so hard, San?" he asked softly.

"Because you love him," she answered, stroking his hair in comfort. "I miss Brittany too."

They stood like that for a minute before Santana pulled back and wiped barely shed tears from Blaine's eyes. "Come on, Boyfriend, let's go to bed."

She grabbed her pajamas and toiletries basket and went out to the bathrooms. Blaine put on a clean t-shirt and slipped out of his jeans, throwing on some sweats before climbing into Santana's bed. His best friend returned shortly in a long black night shirt and shorts. "I can sleep on the floor if you want," she offered.

"No," Blaine answered, more desperately then he'd intended. "I'm tired of being alone."

Santana smiled and turned out the light, settling in next to him. "Me too," she admitted quietly.

Moonlight streamed in through the window overhead as they lay side by side, watching one another. It was just enough light to make their eyes shine and loneliness radiated from deep within them both. Watching him like this, Blaine was so beautiful with his curls relaxed and his long eyelashes a canopy to an amber glow. She'd never understand how Kurt could let him go.

Blaine's hand unconsciously reached for Santana's shimmering black hair. His breath quickened and his heart beat faster. He loved her dearly. She'd been there for him through thick and thin, he'd cried in her arms when he thought he had nothing left. He felt his hand move to her cheek and his thumb absently traced her lips. "Soft like Kurt's," he whispered. Heat surged between them. His eyes grew heavy, her face grew soft. "I want to kiss you," he said, his voice gravely and thick with emotion and surprise.

"Ok," she uttered. No boy had ever felt right to her before but no boy had ever been like Blaine. She'd tried before, but he'd always said no. This time, his lips touched hers.

He was hesitant at first, barely brushing her lips. He remembered how wrong it had all felt with Rachel, but Santana was different. He felt warm, and safe, and wanted. It had been so long since he'd felt wanted. He pressed stronger against her and she wrapped an arm around him, pulling him close. It was nice to be close to someone again.

Santana pulled back just for a moment and eyes, glazed with shyness and longing, slowly opened and met in the darkness. Not wanting to let go yet, Blaine chased her lips, chased the love and belonging and acceptance that he'd felt without for too long now, and gently took her upper lip in his as his hand brushed through her silky hair. Together they explored, with delicate care and tenderness, neither delving too deep. This wasn't Kurt or Brittany. This wasn't passion, just love. But it also wasn't hope, it was only escape. Their hearts shifted and their tears threatened at the same time.

Blaine pulled away first and avoided her eyes. "I'm sorry," he breathed.

"Don't be sorry, Blaine," she told him. "Don't ever be sorry for loving him."

He curled up against her and she held him close, until their hearts beat in time and their breathing slowed, drifting off to sleep. They could be safe and warm together, but neither would ever be home in each other's arms. Their hearts would forever belong to someone else.


	16. Chapter 16: If I'd Known Then

**Prompt: If only I'd known then what I know now! (Write in first person…)**

**Character: Burt Hummel**

**Word Count: 558**

**Date: November 14, 2012**

* * *

Seeing your child hurt is one of the hardest things a parent can go through, and seeing Kurt torn between forgiveness and fear nearly broke my heart. If only I'd known then what I know now, I would have given Blaine more of the attention he so desperately needed. I would have made sure he knew that he mattered, not just to Kurt, but to me.

Kurt and I walked together in Battery Park, the Christmas lights glowing as a light snow fell on a cool night. I'd never realized how beautiful New York could be, but Kurt was right; it was a city full of magic.

I hoped the magic could help my kids take that first step again. They were just not the same without one another.

If I'd known then what I know now, I would have done a better job of showing Kurt how much work went into a relationship. I would have taught him that love is earned, not given freely. That it takes attention and care. That taking it for granted was the surest way of losing it.

We sat on a bench by the frozen pond and watched children and families and couples all skate hand in hand. Some fell only to give up. Some reached a hand and supported one another. And some skated by, seemingly without a care in the world.

I'd always taught Kurt to reach a hand, but never had I told him what to do when it burned him.

"I'm sorry, Kurt," I confessed with a heavy heart. "I don't think I gave you all the tools you needed to handle this."

"What if he does it again Dad?" Kurt asked me, his fear caught in his voice.

"What if he doesn't?" I retorted. I turned and placed a comforting hand on his knee, wishing as always that this was as easy to fix as the scrapes from falling of his bicycle had been so many years ago. Kurt looked at me, his eyes so much older than those days, but still searching for me to have all the answers. "There are an infinite number of _what ifs_ in a relationship, but we can't tell the future, Kurt. I couldn't have known that my time with your mother would have been cut short, but if I had known then what I know now, I still would not have changed a single second with her."

"So what do I do?" Kurt asked.

He rested his head on my shoulder, and held my hand. It struck me in that moment how I'd do anything to stop my child's pain but nothing to prevent my own, because without it, I wouldn't be who I am today. And I realized, I had to let him go. This was part of him growing up, and I couldn't get in the way.

"This is your life son, your future," I told him. "So the only question to ask yourself is can you imagine it without him."

We sat like that for a while, in silence, listening to the sounds of joy and laughter and Christmas music surround us. I had no idea what was going on in Kurt's head, but I was pretty certain that whatever he chose would be the right choice for him. After all, he had his mother's smarts.


	17. Chapter 17: Untouchable

**Prompt: No one understood how they fell in love, but there was no denying that what they shared was untouchable.**

**Word Count: 649**

**Date: November 21, 2012**

**Author's Note: I know that it was expected that I'd write Seblaine and I promise I will go back when I'm in the right frame of mind and do that. But for now, this is the story I needed to tell.**

* * *

They were best friends in Kindergarten. They would hold hands in the lunch line and sing together in music class. Whenever he got in trouble and had to stay inside for recess, she would misbehave so she could stay too. He gave her a ring from the bubble gum machine and she promised to always love him.

In third grade he pulled her pigtails and called her names, running back to his friends who would laugh and slap him on the back. She gossiped with her girlfriends that he had cooties and stuck her tongue out at him. The girls all thought he was gross. The boys thought she was stuck up.

In junior high school she had the lead in the school play and he played defensive back for the school football team. He watched her from the corner of the school gym during the 8th grade prom as she danced with the richest boy in school. His friends told him that a socialite like her would never date a working class boy like him, but it didn't stop him from wishing she'd at least look over and remember how they'd loved each other once.

On the high school cheerleading team, she'd stare at him as he played, wishing that things were different, that her parents and friends would accept him, that he'd even look her way. But she was just a stuck up rich girl. How could he possibly ever stay in love with her. Her friends would tease her as she stared. They knew the feelings she had always felt for him since those early days on the playground. None of the years had made her love go away. It was only society that had forced it underground.

It was their senior year when her car broke down in the school parking lot after a football game one day. There were only a few stragglers still around and he noticed her crying alone on the hood of her car. Years melted away and he remembered the little girl crying at the swings because her friend Rebecca had called her a mean name.

"What's the matter?" he asked her.

"My car won't start, all my friends are gone and I have no way home," she cried.

"Let me take a look," he said immediately and took her hand, leading her off the hood so he could lift it. He'd grown up in his father's garage, had been fixing cars nearly since he was born, and he had her engine revving perfectly in no time. He wiped his hands on his pants, looking at her sheepishly as soon as he'd realized what he'd done. He offered a slight smile. "All set. You going out with your friends now?"

"No," she said, staring at him. He was still every bit the boy she knew. Mischievous, smart, thoughtful. Her friends would never understand, but she'd loved him for 12 years and she'd love him for as many more as he would let her. "I want to go out with you," she said confidently.

He looked at her anxiously, his eyes sparkling with excitement, but lowered in fear. He'd spent a lifetime trying not to love her, but he never could. "I still really care about you," he confessed. "I don't want to screw this up."

She took his face in her hand and kissed him softly. She stopped caring what everyone else thought. "Don't worry," she said. "You won't."

Three years later, on a beautiful summer day, before family members and friends who doubted them but could not deny their love for one another, Burt and Elizabeth Hummel were declared husband and wife.

They couldn't know then, and Elizabeth never lived to know, that someday soon they would have a son who would defy all the odds and find a love that was every bit as untouchable as their own.

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**HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!**


	18. Chapter 18: McKinley Reunion (IOU)

Hey everyone.

This is an IOU for the McKinley class reunion prompt. I promise that someday I'll fill it!

In the meantime, head on over to the next one!


	19. Chapter 19: Hate at First Sight

**Prompt: It was hate at first sight.**

**Characters: Hunter Clarington/Sebastian Smythe**

**Words: 580**

**Date: December 5, 2012**

**Author's Note: This is the start of a longer one-shot I intend to write. A friend asked me to write the scene where Hunter shows up at Dalton as the new Warbler Captain and wondered what Sebastian would say/do. I don't quite get to Sebastian's reaction here, but it's a start. **

* * *

His instructions had been clear. Bring Dalton Academy back to its former glory. He was given no limitations except one: Don't disgrace the Dalton name like Sebastian Smythe.

He stood outside the rehearsal room and watched, sizing them up. Undisciplined, immature and definitely not winners, he decided with one glance. And one Warbler was worst of all.

All it really took for Hunter Clarington to hate Sebastian Smythe was one look at his greased coif of hair and the strut in his step as he sidled up to an underclassman that first rehearsal. Those kinds of guys didn't go to military school and there was a reason. Don't Ask, Don't Tell may be over but don't seduce a fellow soldier was still very much law. Sebastian would get his ass kicked faster than he could say _HUA_! Hunter wasn't into that game though. He fought with his head, not with his fists. And that was why he was brought to Dalton Academy in the first place. Sebastian Smythe had ruined the reputation and standing of a legend in the show choir world, and Hunter was going to bring the Dalton Academy Warblers back on top where they belonged.

"Attention!" he yelled, and the boys snapped to him like soldiers on a battlefield. Hunter smirked quietly to himself. This would be easier than he thought. "It seems," he crooned as he worked the floor, quietly observing every member of his choir, "that someone not only did a miserable job of leading this choir to victory last year but that they undermined the very integrity of the great institution that was the Dalton Academy Warblers."

Whispers of shock erupted around the room and Sebastian stood to full height ready to challenge the arrogant newcomer. "And who the hell do you think you are," he sneered, hands fisted in his pockets as he glided across the room.

The boy smiled haughtily. "I'm Hunter Clarington. New Captain of the Warblers and your worst nightmare." Sebastian's eyes narrowed while Hunter's sparkled with delight. "And you must be Sebastian Smythe. I should thank you really, for this amazing opportunity."

A voice in the back piped up before Sebastian could take this poser down a notch. "Sorry to interrupt this love fest, but can I just inquire who made you leader? We thought after last year we'd be voting for a council again."

Hunter crossed his arms, the smile never leaving his lips as he approached the Warbler who'd just spoken. "Thank you for your question, Mr…"

"Trent," he interjected.

"Trent," Hunter repeated making a note in his head. "The Board of Directors, in their infinite wisdom, decided that after last year the Warblers could not be trusted to choose their own leaders. After all, not everyone has a DA for a daddy who can ensure certain unsavory activities stay out of the press," he said with a side-eye to Sebastian.

"Unsavory or not," Sebastian said smoothly, asserting his authority, "I still got us to Regionals."

"And I will get us to Nationals," Hunter promised. "But that means knowing absolutely everything there is to know about the Warblers. So tell me," he said surveying the boys. "What has always been the Warblers' biggest strength?"

Sebastian's eyes shifted and his heart jumped as he caught the glance of many of the other boys. Everyone at Dalton knew what, or who, their biggest strength had been. But Blaine Anderson was completely out of reach, in more ways than one.

* * *

**To someday, hopefully soon, be continued…**


	20. Chapter 20: Secret Society

**Prompt: Secret Societies**

**'Verse: Ready to Fly Series AU…probably ;P**

**Words: 532**

**Date: December 12, 2012**

* * *

They met once a year under the guise of diplomacy, but Colonel Anderson remembers there was nothing diplomatic about the initiation into the society. He unconsciously twirled his great-grandfather's heavy ring on his finger as he recalled the pain he'd been in for days after that initial meeting. But he didn't regret it one moment. Those were the things that made a person a man, and a man a soldier, and he wore his scars and his ring with pride.

After the final repetition of their oath of secrecy, the men and woman all broke for coffee and dessert, just as if they'd completed a meeting of the Knights of Columbus. His first meeting he'd been shocked by the casual nature of the afterhours gathering, but he wasn't any longer. After all, it had been almost ten years now.

"Hey, Anderson, good to see you!" A man about six feet tall and well built approached him and Colonel Anderson shook his hand.

"General Clarington," he greeted as the twisting in his stomach grew. He almost hadn't come this year because of this conversation. "Good to see you again."

"How's the family?" the General asked. They'd met that first day and had hit it off immediately, due in large part to their mutual pride in their sons. A pride that, for the Colonel, had now turned to deep shame. "Blaine still in public school, or did the wife finally give in?" the General asked with a teasing grin.

The Colonel's palms began to sweat. "No, we finally pulled him out of that school. He hasn't been," the Colonel searched for the words that wouldn't give away the horrible secret. "Appropriately challenged. He started Dalton Academy end of last year. Real good school, great reputation," he added as if to justify it.

"Still no military school then?" the General chuckled. "Hunter just started his freshman year at Culver Military Academy. Loves it so far."

The Colonel winced, the dashed dreams he'd had for Blaine thrown in his face. After Cooper had chosen the arts, he'd always expected his youngest to follow in his footsteps, but Amy never thought military school was the right fit for Blaine. He thought it would turn Blaine into the man he wanted his son to be. The Sadie Hawkins dance and Blaine's revelations had destroyed all that. Now he knew the truth.

"Military school just wasn't for Blaine," the Colonel said, unable really to hide his disappointment.

"Mmhmm," the General said, shaking his head. "Just a shame you won't be able to pass down the ring," he said with a glance to the large brass circlets on both of their left hands. "Mine's been in the family for generations."

"A fine tradition, General," the Colonel said, his voice tight, then shook his hand. "If you'll excuse me."

He barely waited for a nod before he rushed out to his car to return to his hotel, the shame that Blaine had caused him rushing the gates, ready to explode in anger. Because of Blaine's choices, the ring that had been in his family for half a century would be buried with the Colonel. And for that, he'd never forgive Blaine.


	21. Chapter 21: Secrets

**Prompt: Write a Cliffhanger by MelissaMotown**

**Characters: Joe Hart and Marley Rose**

**Words: 645**

**Date: January 23, 2013**

**Author's Note: I was at a loss for this prompt about who to write for so I opened it up to the twitterverse. Tarra chose Joe Hart, so this is for her. I hope you all like it.**

* * *

Joe had been the first one to run out to get Marley's mom after Marley passed out on stage, so when Mrs. Rose in her distraught state needed someone to drive with her to the hospital, she immediately asked Joe. Marley had protested anyone coming, she definitely didn't want Jake or Ryder seeing her at her worst, but she knew her Mom would need the support and Joe was a good guy. Besides, her mother didn't give her much of a choice.

Sad and confused at the hospital, and not wanting to upset her mother any more than she already had, she asked Joe to stay with her while her mother spoke with the psychiatrist who'd screened her. She'd known what to say the doctor, had told him what he wanted to hear. After all, she wasn't going to tell some 50 year old stranger her deepest darkest secrets. But Joe…maybe that was different.

He sat by her bedside, a chair pulled up, his elbows on the bed, hands clasped. She didn't know if he was praying. She knew he did that a lot. It's part of what made him feel safe.

"Can you keep a secret?" she muttered low, not wanting anyone outside to hear her.

He looked up at her, an eagerness to please and be included tempered by the gravity of the situation. "Of course."

"Swear it Joe," she said, knowing that with him it would mean something. "Swear to God you won't tell."

"Marley," he protested, but she held firm.

"I won't tell you unless you swear."

Joe thought for a moment. Whatever it was, it must be important, and anything that important to Marley needed to be said out loud before it drowned her. Despite his better judgment, he agreed. "I swear."

She stared down as she fiddled with her fingers, unable to meet his eyes, but he watched her carefully, never straying, while she spoke.

She started with a whisper. "Sometimes I think it would be easier for my mother if I wasn't here," she said. "If she didn't have to worry about me she could worry about herself, her own health. She could do whatever she wanted, not be a lunch lady. Maybe travel the world, or sing, or write a book."

"Your mother loves you Marley," Joe said, grabbing her hand and squeezing it, but it was as if Marley didn't hear.

"Sometimes I think it would be good to die young," she continued, her voice almost ethereal. "Like I am now, still thin and a little pretty, before my metabolism slows and my thyroid fails and the weight just starts piling on and I can't do anything to stop it." She finally looked up at him. Her eyes were dark and haunted, nothing like her usual carefree innocence. "I think it would be better to die young."

The nurse came in and took over the room. Joe backed out slowly, watching, waiting, for what he wasn't sure. When he hit the door, he turned and stumbled out, his mind spinning with Marley's words. He'd sworn an oath he did not give lightly, but would God forgive him if he broke that oath to save a life?

He found Marley's mom in the waiting area just outside. She was crying, defeat and fear enveloping her. Was it fair to add more to her plate right now, while she already grieved? But there was greater grief that he could try to prevent and didn't that trump everything else as a Christian? He stood at the crossroads, not sure which way to go, but he knew that whatever he chose he had to choose something.

"Mrs. Rose?" he said softly and she looked up, her eyes rimmed red from crying. He sat next to her, taking her hands in his. "Mrs. Rose, there's something I need to tell you."


	22. Chapter 22: Sadie Hawkins

**Prompt: "You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with." By FicDirectory**

**Characters: Blaine and…**

**Word Count: 813**

**Date: January 30, 2013**

**Author's Note: I had hoped that a prompt soon would allow me to write the storyline I think should have happened during the Sadie Hawkins dance, but didn't. I kinda hijacked this one, but it worked and it gave me the missing piece to the story I had been planning. I'm nervous about it, so I hope you all like it.**

* * *

_I don't know how to love him  
What to do, how to move him  
He's a man, he's just a man  
And I've had so many men before  
In very many ways._

_He's just one more._

Blaine smiled as she performed. He'd always enjoyed her singing, though she wasn't offered the chance nearly as often as she should be. In a lot of ways she reminded him of his favorite New Directions singer, which of course he thought was fabulous. He admired her a lot. He admired her ability to be herself, be strong, and to keep fighting even when the going got tough. He admired her ability to stand up here and sing for the chance to take a boy to the Sadie Hawkins dance.

He wouldn't be as brave. He planned not to go at all. It wasn't just that he missed Kurt, though he did, and it wasn't that he feared Sadie Hawkins dances. He'd gotten over that a long time ago after the multitude of Dalton-Crawford soirees during his two years at the private school. It's just that he missed the romance of it, the joy of dancing cheek to cheek with someone you loved, or at least liked, and right now he had no one that he could do that with.

So when she approached him and asked, _Blaine would you go to the Sadie Hawkins dance with me_, his first reaction was shock.

"Oh wow, Unique, I'm, um, I'm really flattered you would ask me. But um…" He looked around, uncomfortably. He didn't want to hurt her. Her courage was inspiring. How could he possibly say no, and yet, how was it possibly fair of him to say yes? Her eyes were hopeful, longing. He knew Unique didn't ask as friends. This was real for her and as much as he admired her, he just couldn't do that. "No…no thank you…I'm sorry."

Her face fell, and she backed away, embarrassment filling her cheeks, and she ran out of the room.

The rest of the Glee club stared at him, some sympathetically, some furious at the choice he'd made, and he quickly gathered his bag and ran off after her. She wasn't hard to find, crying softly in the auditorium.

"Unique please, let me explain," he said sliding into the seat next to her.

"You don't have to Blaine, I understand," she muttered. "I'm a freak, why on earth would you possibly want to go with me?"

"Look at me," Blaine urged softly and she raised her eyes, glistening with tears. "You are _not_ a freak. Look at the people you spend the most time with – Marley, Kitty, Tina, Britt and Sugar? You are the most normal of all of them," Blaine said with a sweet smile, then he took her hand. "That's not why I said no."

"Then why did you?" she asked wiping her eyes.

"Because you deserve to go with someone who likes you, in that way," Blaine said. "And believe me, I know that's not easy to do here at McKinley, but I don't want you settling for me just because I may be the one guy at this school who is okay with you as you are. There are others out there, people who will love you for exactly who you are."

"And what's that?" Unique asked sadly.

Blaine grinned, admiring her so much. "You are a fierce, powerful, strong woman, Unique. And I think that you are awesome, but," Blaine hesitated, blushing slightly, "it's kinda not my thing."

"I'm too much woman for you?" Unique chuckled, the bitter sweetness of it all not lost on her. Blaine laughed with her and nodded. "What if we just went as friends?"

Blaine's smile faded and he looked at her seriously. "The rest of the school won't see it that way," he reminded her. "They may have come a long way since crowning Kurt Prom Queen, but I'm not sure they've come that far."

"And you don't want any trouble at the Sadie Hawkins dance," Unique said matter-of-factly. "Tina told me what you've been through. I understand not wanting that again."

Blaine searched his heart for what to do. Unique had stood up to every bully in this school and the slushies had stopped. She'd performed in public and nothing had happened. He knew that going to the dance with her was just asking for whispers behind his back, but he was used to that, wasn't he? He'd always prided himself on being a role model. What would it say about him if he chose to back down now, when his friend really needed him.

"Unique, I'd love to go to the Sadie Hawkins dance with you as friends," he finally said.

"You would?" she asked, her eyes widening in shock.

"Yes," Blaine committed to himself as much as to Unique. "Yes, I would."

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**I don't usually ask for reviews for Between Friends, but I'd really love to know your thoughts about this. I tried very hard to be as respectful as possible and I wish the show had had the courage to write this instead of me, but for whatever reason they chose not to. So I thought I would. Please review.**


	23. Chapter 23: Can You Imagine

**Prompt: Can you imagine…**

**Characters: Kurt and Adam**

**Words: 538**

**Date: February 6, 2013**

* * *

_"I was wondering," Kurt asked nervously as he peered down at Adam. "Would you ever wanna get a drink, or a coffee sometimes."_

_"Yeah, that would be great," Adam beamed up at him._

It may have been two years ago, but Kurt remembered it like it was yesterday, how scared he was to ask someone out on a date for the first time, and how proud he was that Adam had said yes. It had prepared him for this moment, made it possible for him to stand here today on the most special day of his life. And he was glad that Adam was with him to share it.

"Your tux looks smashing Kurt," Adam drawled in the English accent that Kurt still loved. "Everything is going to go perfectly."

"You think Sam is telling Blaine the same thing?" Kurt asked, his eyebrow arched skeptically.

"Well it is the job of a Best Man to make the groom feel as at ease as possible," Adam grinned, then gently took Kurt's hand, squeezing it assuredly. "You two are perfect together you know."

"Yes, I know," Kurt quipped with a smirk, but he was telling the truth. It had been a bumpy road for a while, their year apart tearing at their hearts and their hope. But the people they loved had gotten them through it to stand where they were going to stand today. And in one short hour, they'd be lawfully wed with their friends and families by their sides. "Can you imagine if I'd never met you? I'm certain that if it weren't for you that Blaine and I would not be standing here today."

Adam brushed the sentiment aside with a wave of his hand. "Ah, if you hadn't met me you'd have met some other fabulous bloke who would have helped you come to your senses."

"I highly doubt that," Kurt replied skeptically. "You were sweet and you were kind and you taught me who I truly was inside, not who everyone thought I was. You made me believe in myself again when I was at a pretty low point."

"Well that's what best friends do, right?" Adam said with a smile.

"But that's what I mean Adam. Some other 'bloke' as you say would've just screwed me over, pun intended," Kurt remarked. "You, on the other hand, were and always are a gentleman."

"And you were and always will be in love with Blaine. I just helped you trust it again."

"When I was waiting so desperately for Blaine to propose – on that trip to London, and last Christmas - I just kept thinking back to that day at NYADA and how amazing it felt to ask for what I wanted, and for someone to say yes to me. And I suddenly realized that I was waiting for nothing. If I wanted to marry Blaine I should seize the moment myself. And I'm so grateful I did.

They were interrupted by Rachel who stuck her head in the door with an excited smile. "Kurt, it's time," she squealed.

He looked at himself once more in the mirror, meeting his own eyes that were filled with confidence. "Yes," he whispered to himself. "Yes it is."


	24. Chapter 24: Wedding

**Prompt: What happens when all the current and former members of ND attend Will and Emma's wedding on Valentine's day?**

**Characters: Adam and Brody (Yes, I was given the thumbs up for this by MuseInMe3)**

**Words: 500**

**Date: February 13, 2013**

* * *

Brody shivered once as he ducked into the coffee shop from the cold streets of Manhattan, on his way to acting class. He waited in line, texting his scene partner, before placing his order and grabbing his coffee. He turned to head out, but stopped when he saw Adam, sitting pensively at a small round table in the corner, nursing a latte. He walked over and turned a chair, straddling it without even asking. Adam didn't even look up.

"You look like you just lost your puppy," Brody mused.

Adam finally raised his eyes and glared at the guy and his ever present amused smile. They'd never been friends. Hell they'd clashed more than once in various classes and auditions. Brody looked down on everyone, so Adam didn't take it personally, but just because their respective others were best friends, it didn't change one thing about their relationship. "And you look awfully chipper for someone whose girlfriend is back home at a wedding with her ex," Adam said.

"Ah, so that's why the long face," Brody smirked in understanding. "''Fraid ole Kurt will fall back into Blaine's arms the moment romance hits the air?"

Adam hated that Brody could read him so well. "Well you met him," he prompted, not really wanting to talk about it and yet riveted to his answer. It was like a bad accident you just couldn't look away from. "What do you think?"

"I think Blaine cheated on him and Kurt still loves him anyway but refuses to admit it," Brody answered honestly. "Rachel agrees with me."

"Brilliant," Adam huffed with a roll of his eyes. He knew it was true. He'd told himself the same thing. But hearing it from Brody was something entirely different. He could have convinced himself he was making it up to lessen the blow just in case Kurt did go back to Blaine. Prepare for the worst, hope for the best. But if Brody and Rachel saw it too…

"Doesn't mean he won't decide its over," Brody insinuated, quirking a brow. "Maybe he just needs a new man to sweep him off his feet."

"And is that all Rachel needed?" Adam quipped back. "You think she'll go back, to the romance of a wedding that should have been theirs, and not shag him?" At the other man's unconscious twitch of surprise, it was Adam's turn to smile. "Kurt can talk too," he shrugged.

"Honestly?" Brody chirped taking a drink of his coffee and standing up. "I don't care what she does with what's his name in the middle of nowhere Ohio. I know she'll come back to me and in the end, that's what matters."

Adam scoffed and muttered under his breath. Brody peered down. "What was that?"

"I said, Kurt told me you had balls," Adam smiled up politely. Brody grinned and winked before buttoning his coat to head back outside into the cold. Adam shook his head. "It wasn't meant as a complement," he laughed to himself.


	25. Chapter 25: What I Love About You

**Prompt: Make the person who prompts before you (MuseInMe3) love her LEAST favorite ship.**

**Characters: Finn Hudson and Quinn Fabray**

**Words: 582**

**Date: February 20, 2013**

* * *

Finn's heart beat furiously in his chest as Quinn's body pressed against him, her lips slowly caressing his as they lay on her bed. He felt overwhelmed in the room that just screamed Quinn Fabray; every trophy, every ribbon, every picture on the wall and stuffed animal on the bed an extension of everything that made Quinn who she was. He felt privileged just to be allowed into her sanctuary, and scared all at the same time. Quinn was his first love, and in the small town world of Lima Heights, Ohio, he reckoned she would be his last.

She was pregnant with his baby after all.

"Quinnie! Can you come down here a minute!" her mother shrilled from downstairs.

Quinn huffed as she rolled off of Finn, but eyed him coyly. "Don't go anywhere," she winked.

He watched her race out the door, her adorable little Cheerio uniform bouncing on her limber body and he remembered back to when she'd first made the squad. She'd been so excited that he just swept her into his arms and kissed her. It had been their first kiss and he'd never regretted it.

He swung out of bed, waiting for Quinn to return. He loved everything there was about her and, feeling romantic, he sat in her little white desk chair, determined to write her a love note. _Roses are red, Violets are blue…_something like that. He grabbed a piece of paper then looked around for a pen, not finding one on the desk. He opened the drawers and rummaged around, but stopped when his fingers flicked a wallet size photo. He picked it up and his breath hitched. A little girl, with pigtails and large glasses stared back at him, and though so much of her was entirely unfamiliar, he was certain he saw Quinn's eyes staring back at him.

"What are you doing?" Quinn's voice hard and gravely attacked him and she slammed the door shut behind her. He startled to standing just as she crossed the floor and tried to rip the picture from his hand but he held it behind his back and tucked it in a pocket.

"That was you," he said simply. "Before you moved here."

"That was never me," she snapped, tears suddenly glistening in her eyes.

"Yes," Finn whispered, drawing closer to her. He reached out and brushed a hair gently behind her ear. "It was. It is," he amended with a warm smile. She shook her head, but he held her beautiful face in his hands and kissed her. "Do you know what I've always loved about you? I love how you don't let anything stand in your way. I love how you fight for what you want and won't take no for an answer. How you always know the right thing to say," Finn said softly. "You've always been everything I want to be and I'm not, but now I know that you're also everything that I am. Scared. Insecure. Just a little bit uncool," he chuckled. "Knowing who you were, Quinn, it makes me love you even more than I already do."

Quinn wiped away the tears that had fallen at Finn's words and wrapped her arms around his neck. To her Finn would always be the perfect man, the perfect father, the perfect husband. She loved him with all her heart, and if Finn somehow saw himself in Lucy then maybe she could someday learn to love Lucy, to love herself, too.


	26. Chapter 26: Lockdown

**Prompt: Dalton has an unexpected lockdown during Warbler Rehearsal and the boys cannot leave. **

**Characters: Sebastian and Blaine (Independent Living Verse, AU)**

**Words: 605**

**Date: February 27, 2013**

**Author's Note: M RATED. For those of you who have not read _Independent Living_, Sebastian and Blaine were together before Blaine meets Kurt. It is by no means intended to portray a healthy relationship. Theirs was a very unhealthy, borderline abusive relationship that is over before the story starts. There are only a few flashbacks to their time together in the story. I'm excited to be able to write another one.**

* * *

The siren and the lights came only moments before the announcement over the intercoms.

"Attention! This is an official lockdown. This is not a drill. All Dalton students, staff, and visitors are to remain in their current locations until further notice."

The Warblers stopped mid-rehearsal, Sebastian immediately turning on Jeff, Nick, and Trent. "What the hell did you guys do now?" he barked angrily.

Trent raised a sassy brow while the other two stared incredulous. "We could ask you the same thing!"

Eyes darted between the Warblers, worried a fight was brewing, but they were all distracted as every phone in the room beeped, chimed and buzzed simultaneously with a text.

**Attention Dalton Community: Dalton is in lockdown until 8am tomorrow morning due to a potential shooter at Crawford Country Day School. Anyone on campus is to remain in your current location. Further instructions will be given as more information is learned.**

"Son of a bitch!" Sebastian yelled and stormed out of the room.

Every eye that wasn't fixed in shock at their phone turned to Blaine. He shrugged apologetically, and followed his boyfriend out the door.

Blaine found him sprawled on the leather sofa in the next room, his fingers flying furiously over his phone's touch screen. Blaine slid in behind him and set to work massaging his shoulders. Sebastian tensed immediately and quickly slipped the phone into his pocket.

"Wanna tell me what's wrong?" Blaine asked cautiously. He placed a soft kiss on his boyfriend's head, but Sebastian moved away.

"I was supposed to go out tonight, that's all," Sebastian snapped.

Blaine took a calming breath. His heart raced when Sebastian got like this, distant and cold. Only one thing usually snapped him out of it. Blaine shifted out from behind Sebastian and spun around to straddle him. Sebastian's eyes were hard, but Blaine leaned down, wafting hot air over Seb's neck before sucking on his favorite spot. "Where were you going?" Blaine wondered in between his ministrations.

"God Blaine, do I need to tell you everything?" Sebastian growled.

Blaine sat straight up and gaped at him. Anger blazed between them. "No. No you don't," Blaine said flatly as he got up and stormed back toward the door.

"Where are you going?" Sebastian demanded.

Blaine stopped, but he refused to turn back. "I'm going to be with our friends! Some of them are no doubt terrified that they won't have the chance for another night with the girl they love!" he shouted. "You may not care but I do!"

"Don't go," Sebastian quickly pleaded and he was so close that Blaine could feel Seb's breath on his skin. He hadn't heard his boyfriend approach, but now he felt strong arms snake around him, pulling Blaine back against his body. "You're right," he whispered, hot and sultry. Sebastian's hand slid seductively across Blaine's chest, brushing over his nipples, and down his firm abs until he was stroking Blaine through his jeans. "Life is short. You never know when you might lose the people you love." Blaine closed his eyes and bit back a moan as his body responded, as always, to Sebastian's expert touch. "I love you Blaine. And I'm sorry for what I said."

Blaine knew Sebastian loved him, but he deserved respect too. "Someday sorry won't be enough Sebastian."

"Is today that day?" Sebastian asked nervously in his ear, in between kisses to his neck.

Blaine's head was dizzy and fire coiled in his belly just waiting to explode. He threw his head back on Sebastian's shoulder and sighed. "No," he choked out as he fell apart in Sebastian's hands. "Not today."

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**I am super excited about the tumblr post for this week's prompt, so please check it out at GleekMom tomorrow! Also, I just wanted to say goodbye to Melissa, who is leaving Between Friends. It has been a pleasure writing with you! 3**


	27. Chapter 27: Blaine Anderson, Season 1

**Prompt: Season 1**

**Characters: Blaine and Nick (Ready to Fly verse)**

**Words: 607**

**Date: March 6, 2013**

* * *

He wandered the halls of Dalton Academy in a daze, as he always did after a visit home. Blaine was used to the tension, the fear, and the hurt that always came with being home. What he wasn't yet used to was letting it all go when he returned to the freedom of these halls and the camaraderie of the boys who embraced him despite everything he was and all he'd been through. Of course they didn't know it all, but they knew enough.

He'd been tutored at home for the rest of the year after the attack, but the rigorous demands of Dalton Academy didn't match his public high school education. His father had wanted to send him back but his mother had insisted, had even threatened to leave if he made Blaine stay, and so he finally relented. It became clear he couldn't go back to public school and much to the Colonel's shame, military school was out of the question.

So he started again in the ninth grade, a little older, a lot more mature, but somehow right where he needed to be. Joining the Warblers had been the best thing he'd ever done. He'd always known he could sing. He and Cooper used to light up the neighborhood with impromptu performances. But he hadn't realized how much he would enjoy it and how much he would learn.

He learned from Wes and David that it was possible to lead with respect and a gentle hand. He learned from Trent and Jeff how to let go and just have fun. And from Nick, the boy who became his best friend, he learned how to trust. The Warblers taught him what it meant to be a family, what it meant to look out for one another, and how to protect his brothers. He thought he had known what loyalty was. Loyalty had always meant keeping secrets and hiding his pain to protect the people he loved. But now he was starting to wonder if maybe in the process he was neglecting the loyalty he owed to himself.

He'd been asked out a couple of times by out and proud Dalton boys who were fascinated by the adorable and reserved charmer. But Blaine politely refused while his heart raced inside of him. It wasn't easy being surrounded by boys who were learning what it meant to love and to be loved while being denied the same right. But Dalton was becoming much too important to him to risk it all just for a kiss.

"Word on campus is that a certain someone is going to be voted lead vocalist for the spring concert," Nick crooned as he came up beside his friend.

Blaine snapped out of his haze and shook his head at Nick. "That's ridiculous, I'm just a freshman. They wouldn't choose me when there are so many upper classman who are even more capable."

"You underestimate yourself," Nick chuckled and fell into stride with Blaine, as they headed off to their first class after February break. "And when you do become lead vocalist, the guys will just be lining up to date you."

"You know dating is not for me Nick," Blaine reminded him, his voice growing sad.

"Someday you'll find the right boy and all that will change," Nick reassured him.

Blaine just hid his head as they walked across campus, the cold air cooling the heat in his cheeks, and the fire burning in his heart. If he had any hope of staying at Dalton then _Someday_ would be dreadfully far away.

But he was very much looking forward to that day.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**It is with sadness that I announce that this will be my last chapter of Between Friends. I have had an amazing time with this project and I have loved each and every ficlet that has come out of it. But I have much to do on my other stories and I am falling too far behind. I want to thank everyone who has read these and everyone who has been involved with Between Friends. I will miss it tremendously, but the time is right, and I hope those left will carry on!**** Love you all!**


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